For some types of wheels, I try to avoid using nylon barrel brushes, atleast if I can, depending on how bad the barrels are. For bad wheels, sometimes I need my EZ nylon brushes. The softer wheel barrel brush I have been using for several years is pretty worn out and due for replacement. For it's replacement I am considering Wheel Woolies or the newer microfiber barrel blades. Which do you prefer?
Wheel Woolies or Microfiber Barrel Blades?
- Thread starter Bert31
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haven't used the barrel blade but have the wheel woolies. personally, i like the angled/bent wheel woolies as they can get into/around areas better than the straight ones...
for the wheel faces, i like to use the flexi half finger wash mitt...
Thanks for the reply. I haven't given much thought to the angled woolie, may have to give them a look.
Bert -
Are you discussing cleaning the wheel barrel. IMO, get both. The WW has been a barrel cleaner in mainly the Medium and the Small (to get in the minutia of caliper/wheel). The head is round, and the shaft is thin enough that it allows you to get inside the angle and angle/scrub as one should ....
The Blade is nice but IMO it's a single function tool. It is flat and allows you to get inside a spoke and reach all the way in *can scrub a 11 1/2" wheel with ease*.
Where is fails is the profile is flat and *wide*. It doesn't work well for me to scrub/move the wand much aft' left or right due to this shape, and this is in a *wheel spoke* opening that I could move freely everyday and anyway with my Wheel Woolie.
Personally, one will always need a mitt of any sorts for the spokes It' allows you to hit the faces, behind the spokes, etc - super quick with a mitt.
I used to clean wheels with the *swissvax* brush primarily. And it's still a great tool for getting into profiles/pockets of the wheels pokes, etc.
But a mitt is the main *front wheel face/spoke* tool of choice
Are you discussing cleaning the wheel barrel. IMO, get both. The WW has been a barrel cleaner in mainly the Medium and the Small (to get in the minutia of caliper/wheel). The head is round, and the shaft is thin enough that it allows you to get inside the angle and angle/scrub as one should ....
The Blade is nice but IMO it's a single function tool. It is flat and allows you to get inside a spoke and reach all the way in *can scrub a 11 1/2" wheel with ease*.
Where is fails is the profile is flat and *wide*. It doesn't work well for me to scrub/move the wand much aft' left or right due to this shape, and this is in a *wheel spoke* opening that I could move freely everyday and anyway with my Wheel Woolie.
Personally, one will always need a mitt of any sorts for the spokes It' allows you to hit the faces, behind the spokes, etc - super quick with a mitt.
I used to clean wheels with the *swissvax* brush primarily. And it's still a great tool for getting into profiles/pockets of the wheels pokes, etc.
But a mitt is the main *front wheel face/spoke* tool of choice
VISITOR
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- May 10, 2007
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agreed, and that's why i like the bent/angled wheel woolies. it covers (and contours more) inside the barrel as oppose to a straight one. i will always have at least one straight one (just in case), but the bent/angled ones are the ones that get used on a regular basis...
Coatingsarecrack
Well-known member
- Dec 9, 2018
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I have wheel woolies both straight and angled. Never bought the Barrel blade as I agree on it being harder to maneuver.
The wheel woolies have a shorter cleaning part so easy to get behind the face and makes ve around to clean more.
I personally don’t like the angled for general cleaning and use a wheel mitt for behind the face. I got it for cleaning the calipers in which it has excelled for me.
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The wheel woolies have a shorter cleaning part so easy to get behind the face and makes ve around to clean more.
I personally don’t like the angled for general cleaning and use a wheel mitt for behind the face. I got it for cleaning the calipers in which it has excelled for me.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The blades don't work on my cars with the massive rotors/calipers. Not enough clearance. The smallest woolie barely fits between the caliper and the wheel, and that's tight. I use the other woolies for the rest of the barrel. I'll also use an Autofiber two-finger mitt on the face.
Desertnate
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- Aug 5, 2013
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This is why I've stuck with my EZ/Speedmaster wheel brushes. The nylon bristles move around to where you can get the brush into an area not much bigger than the center shaft of the brush. The Woolies and other MF tools wouldn't compress enough to get around large calipers. Places I couldn't get my nylon wheel brush, I couldn't get my hands/fingers in very well either. I had to rotate the wheel and finish off those spots later.
Are you worried about scratching from the nylon brushes? Unless you are working on some highly polished or black painted wheels, the risk of scratching should be pretty low. I've never seen any scratching issues from the barrels or narrow spoke areas when using a nylon wheel brush like the EZ. I wouldn't use it on any facing surfaces, just to be safe.
pffft....the ez details are not spitters
This one is...
404 Not Found - Adam's Polishes
I have a S/M/L from the original maker of this. Adam's rebranded this....
If I'm too lazy to rotate the wheel due to caliper, and or it's a super winter dirty wheel with a large rotor and minimal space, this tool is great.
You do need to use a drill so it rotates and the -flaps- do it's thing.
Just be mindful to stop rotation before back it out or those flaps will SLING....
I was hoping the barrel blade would replace the Wheel Woolie but it turns out it's a single function tool (it got some praises here on AGO as well, which gave me the push to order it).
This one is...
404 Not Found - Adam's Polishes
I have a S/M/L from the original maker of this. Adam's rebranded this....
If I'm too lazy to rotate the wheel due to caliper, and or it's a super winter dirty wheel with a large rotor and minimal space, this tool is great.
You do need to use a drill so it rotates and the -flaps- do it's thing.
Just be mindful to stop rotation before back it out or those flaps will SLING....
I was hoping the barrel blade would replace the Wheel Woolie but it turns out it's a single function tool (it got some praises here on AGO as well, which gave me the push to order it).
Coatingsarecrack
Well-known member
- Dec 9, 2018
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Black painted wheels. That's the issue. And those Speedmasters are spitters, too.
I use the SM/EZ brush on my satin black wheels and haven’t noticed any scratching.
I get it though…. Took me years to buy them.
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Eldorado2k
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- Nov 9, 2015
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What do you guys mean by “splitters”?
Nevermind I get it.
I kinda hate to admit it, but I’ve just recently contemplated on giving up trying to maintain the barrels on the chrome wheels on my Cadillac. I cant believe they’ve gotten to the point where I can’t get them completely clean by simply using a brush at this point. It would require a complete wheels off detail to fully get them clean again.
Desertnate
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- Aug 5, 2013
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Don't feel too bad. The barrels on our vehicles aren't immaculate by any stretch.
One car they are pristine, but that is because I frequently swap the wheels. The others... well... They are only as clean as I can get them with a wheel brush and either soap or wheel cleaner. There is still wheel weight goo from previous sets of tires and they are lightly stained by weather and brake dust. On those cars I have no desire to try and pull the wheels and do a heavy cleaning. Fortunately, those barrels are a dark grey color and it isn't very noticeable when you look between the spokes.
One car they are pristine, but that is because I frequently swap the wheels. The others... well... They are only as clean as I can get them with a wheel brush and either soap or wheel cleaner. There is still wheel weight goo from previous sets of tires and they are lightly stained by weather and brake dust. On those cars I have no desire to try and pull the wheels and do a heavy cleaning. Fortunately, those barrels are a dark grey color and it isn't very noticeable when you look between the spokes.
Eldorado2k
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I want it to be this clean. Lol
The surface on my barrels hinders my ability to get them fully clean sometimes vs. the typical clearcoated wheels which have a completely smooth surface on the barrels. There’s slight grooves on the surface of my chrome wheels.
The surface on my barrels hinders my ability to get them fully clean sometimes vs. the typical clearcoated wheels which have a completely smooth surface on the barrels. There’s slight grooves on the surface of my chrome wheels.
Eldorado2k
Well-known member
- Nov 9, 2015
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I was looking into buying a floorjack earlier today. Reading reviews and stuff.
But then my Cadillac tends to not be very “easy” to jack up it seems. It’s hard to get a straight answer as to where exactly the jacking points are on my car. Even the manual gives the most vague information on the topic. Someone messed up in the past and bent the bottom of the fenders trying to jack the car up the wrong way.
Here’s what I mean. Here’s the illustration compared to real life. Does this look like a match? Not really. Lol
Eldorado2k
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- Nov 9, 2015
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I literally cross my fingers everytime I’m at a tire shop, hoping they don’t eff my car up the same way someone did before I bought it.
Bill D
Active member
- Mar 3, 2006
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I would have a talk with shop manager before any work is done explaining how the jack points are tricky and to be extremely careful. A plus would be when they do in fact successfully jack up the car you can ask them to show you where they jacked it up and then you can take pics of the locations.